You're leading a cross-functional team in UX Research. How can you effectively communicate with executives?

Executives get a bonus if they hit key numbers. That drives what they want to hear and they want to put resources towards. Ask *very directly* what the important KPIs are (Key Performance Indicators) and what needs to happen to get there. UXR for these execs is about generating data that helps them make more confident decisions when assigning resources, changing course, or sticking to a conviction. Your UX Research can be about anything. Find out what makes motivates each particular cross-functional executive and show how their needs can be addressed with UXR techniques. The more each executive sees their goals being addressed, the more attention and resources you will get.

To communicate effectively with executives in UX research: 1. Emphasize how research impacts strategic goals. 2. Present findings clearly and concisely. 3. Use visuals to illustrate key insights. 4. Align recommendations with business objectives.

Especially if you are a data nerd and think numbers and charts are fascinating (like me), you really need to hear that MOST people are not like you. MOST people can't see what data says. This is good job security for you. What you need to do is tell a story. Personas are your characters. The Journey is your narrative. If your data is about people, turn them into 3-10 (if micro-segmenting) personas. Indicate which are goal personas and which are personas we don't address just yet. If your data is about impact points, show the current-state journey keeps losing money and keeps aggravating customers at key points. Execs hate to see leekage and churn. Show a mock up or storyboard about what could be different, and predict % change.

Share the findings that will highly impact their business and back it with statistics or quotes from users. Focus on the most critical insights and avoid unnecessary details. Outline your plan of action for proposed next steps, design changes, feature enhancements, or further research.

The higher level the exec, the briefer you should be. CEOs want a Venn diagram with a max of three circles; a max of three statements. Only managers and staff want deep details. Since this question mentions it specifically, show what factors add up to CLV in your equation. Show where the current-state data is lacking and how your hypothesis or intervention will change that. You are allowed to guess here; in business school, they are taught to estimate and guess with confidence. Bring all the data and info you have together, but you're allowed to make an informed guess about the change in ROI. (^This is really helpful if you are getting project requests from above that won't change ROI. You can show it's a waste vs other choices.)